The number of flights cancelled now stands at more than 100 as Taiwan braces itself for super typhoon Nepartak.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall early Friday at the latest with strong winds of up to 245 kilometres per hour forecast.
Several EVA Air long haul services from North America and Europe scheduled to depart late Thursday were brought forward to avoid the typhoon while Taiwan’s largest carrier China Airlines said it has grounded all flights to and from Taichung and Tainan on Friday.
Budget carrier Tigerair Taiwan also cancelled flights from Taoyuan to several destinations in Japan.
Virtually all mainline rail services have been suspended until 5pm Friday local time.
Slow moving Nepartak is forecast to make landfall at Hualien or Taitung on Taiwan’s east coast and buffet the island throughout most of Friday.
Meteorologists predict it will likely weaken to a tropical storm as it passes over the Taiwan Strait towards southeast China.
